[A rare cause of dysphagia and bolus obstruction in adults]

An otherwise healthy 20-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with obstruction of the oesophagus by a bolus after eating a chicken meal. These symptoms continued over the past 12 years and required multiple interventions at different hospitals. There was no history of any other previous illness and both the physical examination and routine laboratory tests were unremarkable.

Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) revealed segmental circular trachea-like constrictions of the esophagus and two stenoses at 35 cm and 40 cm. Histopathology of several biopsies favored the diagnosis of eosinophilic esophagitis.

After initial balloon dilatation and dilatation with a Savary bougie the patient was put on systemic steroids and montelukast (a leukotriene receptor antagonist). The symptoms subsequently disappeared.

Eosinophilic esophagitis, a unique form of esophageal inflammatory disease, consists of dense eosinophilic infiltration of the epithelium and is associated with various macroscopic findings, such as the rare but striking circular trachea-like constrictions, nodules, plaques and other forms of constriction of the esophagus. Several lines of evidence favor an allergic cause. The leading symptom is recurrent dysphagia after solid foods, sometimes accompanied by heart-burn. Medical treatment consists of topical or systemic administration of steroids and/or montelukast. A history of chronic dysphagia after eating solid food, combined with endoscopic findings atypical for reflux disease is highly suspicious of eosinophilic esophagitis in the differential diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease in adults.